Vatnajokull
| Vatnajokull | ||
|---|---|---|
 Vatnajökull, NASA satellite image |
||
| location | Southeast of Iceland | |
| Type | Plateau glacier | |
| length | 150 km from west to east and 100 km from north to south | |
| surface | 8100 km² | |
| Altitude range | 1800 m - 600 m | |
| Ice thickness | ⌀ 400 m; Max. 900 m | |
| Ice volume | 3300 km³ | |
| Coordinates | 64 ° 24 ′ N , 16 ° 48 ′ W | |
|
||
| drainage | various outlet glaciers | |
| particularities | largest glacier in Europe outside the polar region , covers various volcanic systems | |
 Breiðamerkurjökull, one of the outlet glaciers of Vatnajökull |
||
The Vatnajökull [ 'vahtnaˌjœˑkʏtl̥ ] ( Isl. For "water glacier ") is the largest glacier in Iceland and also the largest in Europe outside the polar region . It is a plateau glacier in the southeast of the country. Its area is around 8,100 km², which corresponds to about 8% of the area of Iceland. The ice volume is estimated at over 3,000 km³.
geography
The thickness of the ice layer is up to 900 meters. Some of the most active volcanoes on the island lie beneath the glacier and between them a valley about 500 to 800 m deep. Since September 12, 2004, over 50% of Vatnajökull has been in Skaftafell National Park . On June 7, 2008, the area of the glacier was incorporated into the newly established Vatnajökull National Park , which is now the largest national park in Europe. In the south of Vatnajökull National Park is Morsárfoss , the highest waterfall in Iceland .
glaciology
Formation and growth of the glacier
Like many other glaciers in Iceland, Vatnajökull was formed around 2,500 years ago.
At the time of the conquest in the 9th century AD, the glacier was significantly smaller than it is today. For example, the Esjufjöll (not to be confused with the Esja near Reykjavík ) were outside the actual glacier, whereas today they are in the middle of it.
The so-called Little Ice Age began in the 15th century and lasted in Iceland until around 1890. The Vatnajökull increased as a result.
Reduction of the ice surface
Like most glaciers, Vatnajökull has been losing size for some years, since the end of the 19th century by 10%, i.e. by 10%. H. approx. 300 km³, which means a contribution of 1 mm to the current rise in sea level. Possible reasons given are global climate change ( greenhouse effect ) and the volcanic activities of recent years - the volcanoes Grímsvötn and Bárðarbunga , which lie under the glacier, are among the most active on the island (see also glacier retreat ).
The raising of the country is directly related to this. The severity of the ice cap that weighs on the land is decreasing. As a result, the affected country stands out.
Volcanic activity
The highest point in Iceland at 2,110 meters above sea level. d. M., the volcano Hvannadalshnjúkur , is located in the south of Vatnajökull.
There are a number of active volcanic centers and subglacial volcanoes under the Vatnajökull ice cap :
- In the west the Grímsvötn , the most active volcanic system in Iceland with Gjálp , Þórðarhyrna and Pálsfjall
- In the northwest the Bárðarbunga , to whose system Loki-Fögrufjöll (also: Hamarinn or Lokahryggur ) belongs
- In the north the Kverkfjöll and in the southeast Esjufjöll and Öræfajökull with the Hvannadalshnúkur
A high-temperature system with burglar boilers is located west of the Grímsvötn, the Skaftárkatlar . Under the cauldrons, condensation water collects every 3 years up to once a year, which, similar to the Grímsvötn, finally breaks through an ice barrier and flows into the sea via the Skaftá river . These glacier runs, however, usually only have a very small volume of 400 to 1,500 m³ / s. But because they can grow very quickly and u. U. carry poisonous gases with them, the Skaftárkatlar are well monitored.
On November 1, 2004, there was an eruption on the Grímsvötn , which sent a flood over the Skeiðarársandur . However, the flood by no means came close to the flood of 1996 and was only 2,000 m³ / s at its highest level. The region did not need to be evacuated during this eruption . Only the air traffic was partially diverted. Ash particles from the eruption were already detectable in Finland on November 3rd .
The Bárðarbunga was last active from August 2014 to February 2015, the Grímsvötn last in May 2011.
Glacier run on Köldukvíslarjökull
On July 12 and 13, 2011, tremors were found at Loki-Fögrufjöll volcano , which was followed by a glacier run from the side glacier Köldukvíslarjökull, which belongs to Vatnajökull, over the Sveðja river . This was mostly caught by the Hágöngulón reservoir , with the water level in the 37 km² lake rising by 70 centimeters. The amount of liquid was estimated at 26 gigalitres. At its peak between 2 am and 4 am on the night of July 13, 2011, over 2,000 m³ / s flowed into the reservoir. During a flight over the glacier, a newly formed basin in the glacier ice was discovered at Hamarinn . During another flight over the glacier on July 18, 2011, scientists found two new burglar kettles and installed measuring devices on the Hamarinn. Samples were also taken from the water of the Sveðja river in order to investigate whether the course of the glacier would have thawed regularly through the newly discovered high-temperature area on the Hamarinn, whereby the water would first have collected in a subglacial lake and then would have broken through after reaching a critical amount, or due to a subglacial volcanic eruption.
Overview of volcanic eruptions in volcanic systems under Vatnajökull since Iceland was settled
Numerous volcanic eruptions can only be assumed, as their force was insufficient to thaw the glacier, which is up to 900 m thick, and they were only noticeable over the course of the glacier. The overview follows i. A. Representations of the Institute for Earth Sciences at the University of Iceland
| volcano | year | Volcanic system | Accompanying glacier run (river) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veiðivötn | 900 | Bárðarbunga | |
| 905 | Grímsvötn | ||
| 940 | Bárðarbunga | ||
| unknown origin | 1000 | ||
| 1060 | Grímsvötn | ||
| 1080 | Bárðarbunga | ||
| 1159 | Bárðarbunga | ||
| 1332 | Grímsvötn | Skeiðará | |
| 1341 | Grímsvötn | ||
| 1354 | Grímsvötn | ||
| Öræfajökull | 1362 | Öræfajökull | various rivers |
| 1410 | Bárðarbunga | ||
| Veiðivötn | 1477 | Bárðarbunga | Jökulsá á Fjöllum |
| 1500 | Grímsvötn | ||
| 1598 | Grímsvötn | ||
| 1603 | Grímsvötn | ||
| 1619 | Grímsvötn | ||
| 1629 | Grímsvötn | Skeiðará | |
| 1638 | Grímsvötn | ||
| 1659 | Grímsvötn | Skeiðará | |
| unknown origin | 1681 | ||
| 1684-85 | Grímsvötn, Dyngjufjöll | ||
| 1697 | Bárðarbunga | Skeiðará | |
| unknown origin | (1702, uncertain) | ||
| 1706 | Grímsvötn, Bárðarbunga | ||
| 1707 | Bárðarbunga | ||
| 1711-12 | Bárðarbunga | Jökulsá á Fjöllum | |
| 1716 | Grímsvötn, Bárðarbunga | Jökulsá á Fjöllum | |
| 1717 | Bárðarbunga | Jökulsá á Fjöllum | |
| 1720 | Bárðarbunga | ||
| 1725 | Grímsvötn | Skeiðará | |
| 1726 | Dyngjufjöll , towards Grímsvötn | Jökulsá á Fjöllum | |
| Öræfajökull | 1727 | Öræfajökull | various rivers |
| unknown origin | 1729 | Jökulsá á Fjöllum | |
| 1739 | Bárðarbunga | ||
| Síðujökull | 1753 | Djúpá , Hverfisfljót , Skaftá | |
| 1766 | Bárðarbunga | Þjórsá | |
| unknown origin | 1768 | ||
| 1769 | Bárðarbunga or Grímsvötn | ||
| 1766 | Bárðarbunga | Þjórsá | |
| 1774 | Grímsvötn | Skeiðará | |
| Laki | 1783 | Grímsvötn | Skaftá, Þjórsá |
| 1784-85 | Grímsvötn | Núpsvötn , Skeiðará | |
| Western Vatnajokull | 1794, probably | ||
| Northwest Vatnajökull, Dyngjuháls | 1798 | ||
| Northwest Vatnajokull | 1807, presumably | ||
| 1816 | Grímsvötn | ||
| Þórðarhýrna | 1823 | Grímsvötn | |
| 1838 | Grímsvötn | Skeiðará | |
| 1854 | Grímsvötn | ||
| 1861 | Grímsvötn | Skeiðará | |
| Tröllagígar | 1862-64 | Bárðarbunga | |
| Háabunga , Þórðarhýrna | 1867 | Grímsvötn | Skeiðará |
| Dyngjuháls | (1872, uncertain) | Bárðarbunga | |
| Þórðarhýrna | 1873 | Grímsvötn | Skeiðará, Djúpá |
| 1883 | Grímsvötn | Skeiðará | |
| 1883 | Grímsvötn, Kverkfjöll | Skeiðará | |
| Þórðarhýrna | 1887 | Grímsvötn | Súla |
| 1892 | Grímsvötn | Skeiðará | |
| 1897 | Grímsvötn | ||
| Dyngjuháls | 1902-03 | Bárðarbunga | Jökulsá á Fjöllum |
| Þórðarhýrna | 1903 | Grímsvötn | Skeiðará, Súla |
| unknown origin | 1903 | Jökulsá á Brú | |
| Easternmost Loki kettle | 1910 | ||
| 1911 | Grímsvötn | Skeiðará, Súla | |
| 1927 | Esjufjöll | Jökulsá á Breiðarmerkursandi | |
| unknown origin | 1933 | Skjálfandafljót | |
| North of the Grímsvötn | 1933 | Grímsvötn | |
| 1934 | Grímsvötn | Skjálfandafljót, Skeiðará, Súla, Jökulsá á Fjöllum | |
| 1938 | Grímsvötn | Skeiðará | |
| (1941, presumed) | Grímsvötn | Skeiðará | |
| (1944, presumed) | Grímsvötn | Skeiðará | |
| (1954, presumed) | Grímsvötn | Skeiðará | |
| 1968 | Kverkfjöll | ||
| 1983 | Grímsvötn | ||
| 1984 | Grímsvötn | ||
| Easternmost Loki kettle | (1986, presumed) | Bárðarbunga | Skaftá |
| 1996 | Bárðarbunga | ||
| Gjálp | 1996 | Grímsvötn | Skeiðará, Súla, Skjálfandafljót, Jökulsá á Fjöllum |
| Grímsvötn | 1998 | Grímsvötn | Skeiðará, Súla |
| Grímsvötn | 2004 | Grímsvötn | Skeiðará, Súla |
| Grímsvötn | (2010, presumed) | Grímsvötn | Skeiðará, Súla |
| Grímsvötn | 2011 | Grímsvötn | |
| Hamarinn | (2011, presumed) | Bárðarbunga | Sveðja |
| Holuhraun | 2014 | Bárðarbunga |
Vatnajokull National Park
The Vatnajökull National Park has existed since 2008. It covers 12,000 km², that is 12% of the country's surface. The Vatnajökull glacier lies in it as well as the former Skaftafell National Park, the Jökulsárgljúfur National Park and the Laki Crater . It is divided into a northern, southern, western and eastern area.
See also
- Geography of Iceland
- Iceland glaciers
- Volcanoes in Iceland
- List of mountains and elevations in Iceland
- Jökulsárlón - glacial lake on the southern edge
- Breiðárlón - glacial lake
literature
- Ari Trausti Guðmundsson: Living Earth. Facets of the geology of Iceland. Mál og Menning, Reykjavík 2007, pp. 219-253.
- Ari Trausti Guðmundsson, Halldór Kjartansson: Land in becoming. An outline of the geology of Iceland. Vaka-Helgafell, Reykjavík 1996, pp. 35-48.
- Hjörleifur Guttormsson, Oddur Sigurðson: Leyndardómur Vatnajökuls. Viðerni, fjöll and byggðir. Stórbrotin náttúra, eldgos og jökulhlaup. Reykjavík (Fjöll og firnindi) 1997 ISBN 9979-60-325-9
Web links
photos
Scientific items
To glaciology
- David JEEvans, David R. Twigg: The active temperate glacial landsystem: a model based on Breiðamerkurjökull and Fjallsjökull, Iceland. Dept. of Geography and Topographic Science, Glasgow, ea Aug. 2002. doi: 10.1016 / S0277-3791 (02) 00019-7 . (scientific description of the development of the Breiðamerkurjökull, a southern outlet glacier) (English)
- Stefan Bürger, ea: Temporal change in severity and glazio-isostatic compensatory movement at Vatnajökull, Southeast Iceland. Dgg-online. Announcements 2002 Univ. Mainz, Max Planck Inst. u. Inst. F. Geosciences Potsdam. (Isostatic changes at Vatnajökull)
- Wolfgang Jacoby, ea: Temporal Gravity Variations near Shrinking Vatnajökull Ice Cap, Iceland . Pure and applied Geophysics, Vol. 166, no.8–9, 2009, doi : 10.1007 / s00024-009-0499-9 (gravitational changes at Vatnajökull, various German university institutes) (English)
- Oddur Sigurðsson: Áhrif gjóskufalls á leysingu jökla. Veðurstofa Íslands, May 30, 2011 (Icelandic)
To the volcanic systems under Vatnajökull
- Almannavarnir, Grímsvötn - Upplýsingar (PDF file, Icelandic) - overview map of the volcanic systems under Vatnajökull, red circles, p. 2
- Volcanic eruptions beneath the ice cap Vatnajökull , ed. Geophysic Devision of the Science Institute, Univ. of Iceland (overview of the large subglacial volcanoes under Vatnajökull and the dangers associated with them, Vulkanolog. Inst., Háskóli Íslands) (English)
- Magnús T. Gudmundsson, Thórdís Högnadóttir: Volcanic systems and calderas in the Vatnajökull region, central Iceland: Constraints on crustal structure from gravity data , Journal of Geodynamics , Vol. 43, iss. 1, Jan. 2007, 153-169; doi: 10.1016 / j.jog2006.09.015
- Helgi Björnsson, Páll Einarsson: Volcanoes beneath Vatnajökull, Iceland: Evidence from Radio Echo-Sounding, Earthquakes and Jökulhlaups. Jökull, 40, 147–168, 1991. (Univ. Iceland: Geological investigations with echo sounder on the volcanoes under Vatnajökull) (English)
- Diss. Kilian Scharrer: Monitoring ice-volcano interactions in Iceland using SAR and other remote sensing techniques. Dissertation Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich 2007 (Dissertation LMU: Project satellite observations of Iceland's volcanoes under Vatnajökull) (English; PDF; 9.9 MB)
- Erik Sturkell: Impact on crustal deformation. Magmatic and tectonic processes of glacier thinning due to climate change. (English)
- Sigrún Hreinsdóttir, ea: Hamarinn - GPS Time Series (HAMA & HAFS) (measurement data for Hamarinn ), Geol. Inst., Univ. Iceland (English)
To Vatnajökull National Park
Sports
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Guðfinna Aðalgeirsdóttir: Flow dynamics of Vatnajökull ice cap, Iceland. Dissertation, ETH Zurich, 2002 ( online ( memento of the original dated December 28, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this note .; PDF; 7.7 MB)
- ↑ a b Vatnajokull - Europe's largest icecap , nat.is
- ↑ cf. Helgi Björnsson, Vísindavefurinn Háskóla Íslands http://visindavefur.hi.is/svar.php?id=30090 Accessed: April 17, 2011 (Icelandic)
- ↑ Since a general glacier recession set in at the end of the 19th century, the largest icecap, Vatnajökull, has decreased by about 10% in volume (300 km³), contributing 1 mm to the concurrent rise in sea level. In: Helgi Björnsson, Finnur Pálsson: Icelandic Glaciers. Univ. of Iceland, 2008. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
- ↑ Volcanic eruptions beneath the ice cap Vatnajökull , ed. Geophysic Devision of the Science Institute, Univ. of Iceland (overview of the large subglacial volcanoes under Vatnajökull and the dangers associated with them, Vulkanolog. Inst., Háskóli Íslands) ( Memento of the original from May 27, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked . Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English); Accessed April 20, 2011
- ↑ Skaftárkatlar. Vöktun eldstöðvar. Jarðvísindastofnun Háskólans (Icelandic); Accessed August 5, 2011
- ↑ cf. z. B. Bergur Einarsson: Rannsóknir á jökulhlaupi frá vestari Skaftárkatli. Veðurstofa Íslands, July 27, 2009 (Icelandic); Accessed August 5, 2011
- ↑ Órói við Lókahrygg í Vatnajökli. Veðurstófan Íslands (Icelandic); Accessed July 17, 2011
- ↑ cf. also: http://www.ruv.is/frett/hlaupid-ad-likindum-yfirstadid Hlaupið að líkindum yfirstaðið. ruv.is, July 13, 2011 (Icelandic); Accessed July 17, 2011
- ↑ Hágöngulón fylltist í hlaupinu. mbl.is, July 13, 2011 (Icelandic); Accessed July 17, 2011
- ↑ Hlaupið í rénun , Web newspaper Vísir, July 13, 2011 (Icelandic); Accessed July 17, 2011
- ↑ Sigketill við Lokahrygg . Veðurstófan Íslands, July 14, 2011 (Icelandic); Accessed July 17, 2011
- ↑ Fréttir , RÚV, July 19, 2011 (evening news from the state television station RÚV, Icelandic); Accessed July 19, 2011
- ↑ Reported volcanic eruptions and jökulhlaups in and from Vatnajökull. Ed. Geophysical Institute, Univ. Iceland. ( Memento of the original from May 27, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English); Accessed July 20, 2011
- ↑ On the outbreaks since 1996: Institute of Earth Sciences, Univ. Iceland (English); Accessed July 20, 2011
